A PDF Companion Cape Cod Canal Bike-Hike Guide Is Available
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Pole #355: Aptucxet Trading Post Pole #260: Radar Tower Before the Canal’s existence, the The primary mission at the Cape Manamet River flowed through much of Purpose of the Cape Cod Canal Cod Canal is to ensure safe movement of this isthmus. Located at this point along the The primary purpose of the vessels through the waterway. The Corps river, was the first trading post established Cape Cod Canal is to provide a safe of Engineers utilizes a Centralized Marine outside of the Plymouth Colony (1627). navigation channel for vessels seeking Traffic Control (MTC) System to help Pole #340: Old Bourne Bridge The Post provided a place for Wampanoag the shorter and safer Canal route through accomplish this task. Abutment Indians and Dutch settlers (from NY) to the isthmus of Cape Cod. On average, The radar tower here is part of The large concrete wall is the trade with the Pilgrims. Miles Standish the Canal saves 135 miles of open sea the fully integrated system that includes the old Bourne Bridge abutment, built by of Plymouth Colony recoginized the travel out and around the Cape Cod radar and camera surveillance, VHF radio Belmont in 1911. The Canal’s original importance of this route to trade, and was peninsula. Since 1928 the U.S. Army communications and wind, air and water bridges were drawbridges, which were the first known to propose a Canal through Corps of Engineers has operated the temperature and tidal current sensors. raised for passing ships. The Bourne this isthmus.Today, The Bourne Historical waterway toll free to vessels adequately The conical shaped disks that you see are Bike Hike Bike Bridge had trolley tracks, providing Society operates the Aptucxet Trading Post powered for canal passage. microwave dishes used to transmit the service from Monument Beach to New as a museum. information. Self- guided guided Self- Bedford. An alert team of marine traffic Canal Canal controllers monitor the MTC on a 24-hour basis. Cape Cod Cod Cape Pole #375: The Vertical Lift The bridges over the Canal were Railroad Bridge completed in 1935. They replaced the The Railroad Bridge, completed in older drawbridges to accommodate the 1935, replaced the original railroad bridge improvements, such as the widening of over the Canal. The original had two tracks the Canal, made in the 1930s. The older and lifted to one-side (north side) using a bridges only provided an opening of 140 For More Information: Pole #290: Stephen. R. Jones single counterweight. feet for vessels to pass. Today’s bridges On June 28th 1942, while on route With a center span of 544 feet, provide a horizontal vessel clearance of Write: from Virginia to Boston, the Stephen.R. the current railroad bridge was the largest Park Manager 480 feet. Jones struck ground on the northern bank vertical lift bridge in the world when U.S. Army Corps of Engineers It was the time of the Great of the Canal. The 354-foot ship carrying constructed. It is still one of the longest Cape Cod Canal Field Office Depression. The reconstruction efforts coal, sank to the Canal’s bottom at this today. The bridge is operated by Bay P.O. Box 1555 along the Canal provided much needed location. Colony Railroad, and is owned by the Army Buzzards Bay, MA 02532-1555 jobs. More than 700 people were hired to The Corp’s Mission During World War II, the Canal Corps of Engineers. Its usage has varied work on the bridges. The U.S. Army Corps of was an important navigation route for over the years. Today, its primary use is Phone: The total length of the Bourne Engineers is a world wide organization U.S. Navy ships. The sinking of the Jones to haul trash off-Cape daily to a waste to Cape Cod Canal Field Office Bridge is 2,384 feet making it almost that provides engineering services and made the Canal impassable. An immediate energy facility in Rochester, MA. (508) 759-4431 1,000 ft longer than the Sagamore Bridge. construction support for a wide variety resolution to this problem was needed. It Four, 200 hp engines are used to Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center was determined that dynamite was the best of military and civil projects. (508) 833-9678 raise and lower the bridge. As the 2,200 ton The Corp’s civil mission is to means to remove the submerged ship. center span is lowered, 1,100 ton counter- On July 4th 1942, people gathered develop and manage the country’s water Web site: weight blocks rise in each tower. resources. Its projects reduce flood www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/ccc/ccchome.htm along the Canal to watch a special kind of fireworks display. They watched as damage, improve harbors and navigation the first charges of dynamite were placed channels, protect stream banks and upon the sunken ship. Work to remove the shorelines, generate hydroelectric wreck began with a bang! After 28 days of power, and preserve and safeguard the explosions the Canal was once again fully environment. operational. Canal Bike Hike Pole #195: The Herring Run The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pole #110: Old Sagamore Bridge River Herring make their spring welcomes you to the Cape Cod Canal. Safety First! Abutment and Keith Car Works Co. migration up the Herring River into Great You’re invited to exercise your body and In order to ensure the safety of The Keith Car Works Herring Pond in Plymouth to lay their eggs mind as you journey along the waterway. yourself and other visitors when bicycling Manufacturing Corporation was once the each year. Unlike other species of fish, adult Discover the Canal’s unique history and or in-line skating along the Canal’s service largest employer on Cape Cod. At their herring return to the ocean after spawning. features while you bike, skate, or walk roads there a few things to keep in mind: peak the company employed up to 1400 Juveniles enter the ocean at the end of the along the service roads on either side. • Always wear the recommended safety people and their factory buildings stretched summer. Herring are an important part of Take this guide with you to equipment, and be sure it fits properly for about 1 mile. Keith Car Company the ocean food web and they also play an explore the various points of interest along • Go slow began making sleds which were towed by important role in the economy. They are your way. Whether you’re on the North • Stay to the right side of the road horses, and later patented and produced the used for all kinds of products from fertilizer (mainland) side or the South (Cape) side, • When passing slower moving traffic, 40-8 boxcar design used by trains. to food. traveling East towards Cape Cod Bay or make sure to announce that you are about Pole #35 East Mooring and East Keith Car Company manufactured The Corps of Engineers built the West towards Buzzards Bay, biking all to pass on the left side Boat Basin: products at their Sagamore location from run in 1936 in order to restore herring or part of the service road, this guide will • Winds on the Canal can be strong at In stormy or foggy weather, ships the mid 1800’s until 1928. The last Keith populations that were cut off from their serve as an informative companion. times. Be careful not to tire yourself out that need to wait for improving weather Car Co. building was removed in the spawning grounds by Belmont’s Canal. • Drink plenty of water, and rest often 1930s when the Canal was widened. Where do I stop? conditions will use the wooden pilings • When stopping, move to side of the road called dolphins at the mooring basin. Look for pole numbers. These are • Be safe, respect others, and have fun! The East Boat Basin or what is numbers that are posted on the navigational now known as Sandwich Marina, provides lighting poles that run the entire length of a variety of services for both commercial Pole #215: Digging in the Dry the service roads. The numbers start on the and recreational boaters. The facilities at Progress building the Canal was east end near Cape Cod Bay and increase Points of Interest Sandwich Marina include a boat ramp, a slowed when huge 100-ton boulders were as you head west towards Buzzards Bay. fuel dock, and boat slips for commercial found throughout this area. In order to This guide may be used no matter where and recreational vessels. It is also the home make up for lost time, the Chief Engineer you start, just match up the points of Parsons recommended utilizing steam for one of the most lucrative commercial The concrete wall with an A- interest with the pole numbers. shovels and railed dump cars to dig in this fishing fleets on the east coast. framed house on it is the last remaining • Numbered poles are about 500 feet apart dry section, in addition to the dredges that To the west of the marina is the piece of the original Sagamore Bridge, were already digging from either end. Canal Electric Plant. The privately owned in use from 1913 to 1935. The other Just to the east of pole 235 is the and operated power plant generates most abutment cannot be seen because it was location where Belmont ceremoniously of its electricity by burning crude oil. It is removed when improvements were mixed the waters of Cape Cod and also capable of burning natural gas from made to the Canal after the Government Buzzards Bays on April 29, 1914.